Ghost Tales
by Crescent Blue
Summary: Tales for every timeline. A collection of one-shots starring the Ghost Trick cast. Rated T for potential themes of death, blood, etc.
1. Puppy Love

A/N: My first Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective fanfiction! A series of drabbles and one-shots starring various characters, timelines, and genres.

I will be sure to specify which is which at the start of each chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective! All related content belongs to Shu Takumi and Capcom.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

_New Timeline_

I sit in Miss Kamila's house because Miss Lynne's at work and there's something called an "exterminator" coming to her apartment. He sounds scary, so it's probably a good thing that I'm not around.

I'm also a bit sad because Miss Kamila is over Twin Ribbon's house for a sleepover. I'm getting pretty antsy though.

NOT EVEN SISSEL'S HERE! Well, he is here, but he said he had to do something. (I think he got bored! BORED WITH ME! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!)

Oooooh, I have SO much energy! I just don't know what to do! There's nothing else to bark at!

Miss Lynne is nice to me, but she just doesn't get it. I HAVE to bark! I have to run around!

Miss Kamila is even nicer to me and thinks that I do the cutest things. She doesn't even chase me with brooms! Thank you! THAT MAKES ME HAPPY!

But I think I might be saved! I hear voices outside. I also hear the front door unlocking and I run to say "WELCOME!" to whoever it is.

What I see is the coolest thing ever! You bet it is!

I remember him! It's White Coat! But he didn't do anything like this the last time I saw him. (Well, he was pretty hurt too.)

But look at him! He's spinning! Look at that long tempting scarf! His feet are always moving! How does he spin like that on only two legs?

I HAVE TO KNOW!

I run and rear up on my hind legs only to end up on my back. That's okay! I'll try again as many times as I have to!

I get up and run forward again and twist on my hind legs. I manage a half spin. Okay, that one didn't count! THIS TIME I'LL DO IT!

I run back further to get more speed, lean on my hind legs and twist. The room spins around me a few times and I fall to the floor on my belly. Did you see what I did, White Coat? DID YOU?!

White Coat laughs and gives a flourish of his arms. He stoops down and gives me a good scratching behind my ears.

"Weeeell, we got ourselves a liiiiiittle dancer here!"

White Coat pulls out a dog treat from his coat and tosses it in the air. I jump up to catch it.

As I finished the biscuit, I remember something important!

"WELCOME, WHITE COAT!"

I know we'll be good friends too!

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: So, Missile meets Cabanela for the first time. I always felt that Missile should've been Cabanela's dog. They're both so full of unbridled energy! Also, I feel that while Sissel enjoys Missile's company and friendship, I think that he needs a break from time to time. Hyper-active dog and a reserved, cynical cat. One is going to get worn out a little by the other.

I hope you enjoyed!


	2. A Phantom's Revenge

_A/N: This particular drabble is a reference to a fanfic on Archive of Our Own. It's Kyarorain's "While He Sleeps". Thank you for allowing me to reference it!_

_Pre-Game AU_

The tension of the crime scene. There was nothing like it. At least, it was something that Detective Rindge was used to hearing during normal circumstances.

He was feeling tension, sure. But it wasn't the thrill of hunt which caused it in this instance.

The crime scene before him was like one of countless he'd seen before. Sullen and messy. Before him, a damaged vehicle with blood splatter and bits of flesh on the dented hood and cracked windshield. A distraught civilian, this time the owner of the vehicle, paced back and forth. The pavement had a lake of blood which leaked from the victim's head.

It was the victim that created the tension that Rindge felt. The tension that threatened to suffocate him.

Lying mangled and bloodied on the pavement, was Inspector Cabanela. His neck bent at an unnatural angle, his head gashed open.

Detective Rindge wasn't entirely sure on what to make of the Inspector. The man was friendly to his cohorts, but his eccentricities were maddening at times. Rindge made sure to never let the cheerful disposition fool him. Cabanela's temper activated like a light switch at times. He was a perfectionist and if one caused his carefully laid plans to go astray, Cabanela's dark side would awaken. Despite the oddities, he'd never wish him dead. Rindge even admired Cabanela at how well he seem to dance through everything.

How did this happen? How could this happen? One witness claimed they saw the man jump from his apartment window fifteen stories up. He'd once caught Inspector Cabanela dangling upside down on a ladder to get a "perfect angle" to hang Halloween decorations, but he couldn't see him doing a balancing act on his apartment's windowsill. Especially not from fifteen stories high.

"_**I saw him! He jumped from his window!**_"

A bell rang in Rindge's mind: The Inspector's death came just two weeks after the Justice Minister's execution order for former Detective Jowd.

Could it really be true? Had the Inspector actually committed suicide? He closed his eyes and cast his thoughts back in time: Detective Rindge was just a police officer at the time, but he knew of the pair of ace detectives. He'd looked up to Detective Jowd in particular. He wished that one day he'd be close friends with Jowd like Cabanela was. The two were brothers in arms.

Was the condemned Jowd the answer to Cabanela's gruesome death?

The other witness stated that it looked like someone pushed him from behind, but saw no one once the Inspector fell.

Rindge couldn't fathom such a scenario. Pushed from behind, but no one was there? Rindge and the Forensics Team thoroughly inspected Cabanela's apartment and questioned other tenants and staff. There were no signs of forced entry, a struggle, visitors, or anyone other than Cabanela being in that apartment.

"_**It seemed like he was in a trance at first. He was moving robotically. Once he got on the windowsill, he snapped out of it for a bit and then lurched forward as if he was pushed! But I swear to you, there was no one behind him!**_"

Moving robotically? In a trance? He'd heard of cases where people did strange things while sleepwalking. Had Cabanela been sleepwalking and accidentally killed himself?

Detective Rindge shook his head. That very statement was ridiculous. The Inspector rarely slept. He'd even come into work at 3:00am bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

The preliminary evidence all points to suicide, but it seemed impossible. Detective Jowd's case seeped into Rindge's mind. All of the evidence in the Jowd case pointed to Alma's homicide, but that too was impossible. The pair of ace detectives both foiled by impossible actions.

Are the gods conspiring against Cabanela and Jowd? Even a vengeful ghost would've made sense at this point.

Detective Rindge prepared himself to report to the Chief and await the coming hurricane. The Inspector's death will devolve the precinct into utter chaos.

Just what is going on here?

* * *

A translucent figure watched from inside a nearby mailbox. It gave the blonde-haired, red-suited ghost a perfect view of the masterpiece he created. He'd never seen such a glorious sight before.

He relished in the panic that enveloped his victim before he fell. His screams during the fall were music to his phantom ears. He'd even made sure to dress the Inspector in that famous white coat.

He loved the confusion and shock pouring from the investigators. He had successfully crippled the Metro Police Department. With the scandal of the Jowd case, the death of their top Inspector, and the scramble to replace him, he and his allies would have a much easier time carrying out their plans.

Yomiel laughed.

The white coat will be forever stained.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Thanks for reading!


	3. Terrible Gossips

_Pre-Game, In-Game, or New Timeline_

"Did you see the way those women were staring at Cabanela? Who knew he could sing that well?" Detective Wrightman grumbled.

"He was just showing off! They were all of the pretty ones too!" Detective McCaw concurred just as grouchily.

Like a blinding white light, the Inspector's success and popularity outshined their every efforts.

* * *

"Hey, Bailey. You think that Inspector Cabanela has the hots for Lynne?" Officer Daly asked while idly shuffling his deck of cards.

"What makes you say that?" Bailey swung his chair around to properly address his colleague's question. He was taught to be polite after all.

"He calls her "My baby" and whatnot. It makes me kinda mad."

"Doesn't he call everyone "baby" or "man", though? …You're telling me that you're jealous of Inspector Cabanela, aren't you?"

"...Do your work, Bailey."

"AAAAAAAAARGH!"

* * *

Detective Jowd couldn't help but chuckle at this unexpected development.

"Say, Cabs, I think people have the wrong impression of you."

"Whaaaat? But I'm a simple guy! Noooot my fault that people exaggerate me."

"Ha! Ha! The others don't think so!" Jowd's smirk couldn't be contained at this point.

"Soooo, according to our friends, I'm a playboy who snags all the women and has the hots for Lynne? Stuuuuuupid ramblings is all they are."

"Don't try to hide it, Cabs. What are you going to do about all of those broken hearts?" Jowd's restraints failed and he let out a booming guffaw.

The bugs that Memry planted were working beautifully, but somehow, the odd girl had forgotten her receivers in their shared office. Or had she left them there on purpose? One could never tell with her.

If rumors of relationships caused this much trouble, imagine what actually being in one was like. There were principles that Cabanela wouldn't turn back on and this was one of them.

"The single's life, nothing like it, baby!"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: I've always felt that the other members of the police force are secretly envious of Cabanela and vented when he wasn't around. Also, I've always been a fan of bromance and friendships. There's nothing wrong with being single, folks!

McCaw's partner looks like Phoenix Wright and has no name. I just named him "Wrightman" for giggles. XD

Thanks for reading!


	4. Cat Philosophy and Dog Logic

_New Timeline_

It was an intense conversation in Ghost World. It was the safest place to talk freely without disturbing the crowd around them with meows and barks. The two animals were upstairs in Kamila's bedroom when Sissel connected to Missile's core.

It all started with one question posed by Sissel: Is there a difference between fur and hair?

"I don't really see a difference to be honest."

"Well, it's why I don't lick Big Beard. His fur is rough and it's not easy on my tongue."

"But you groom yourself just fine. And you didn't say what the difference is between hair and fur."

"That's because my fur is soft and silky! PEOPLE LOVE MY FUR! Oh, but that reminds me, you don't let people pet you. You shouldn't be mean like that, Sissel. It makes them think that you don't like them!"

"(He's still sidestepping the real question.) You already know that answer, Missile, but it was Jowd's idea to begin with. I don't really understand why he can't tell everyone the truth. I'm the walking dead, yes, but I'm not complaining."

"I think humans are stubborn when it comes to out-of-the-ordinary things!"

"That definitely seems to be true for most humans. (Maybe not Lynne though and no one's told her either.) But still Missile, do you think there's an actual difference between fur and hair?"

"Maybe not, but it stops me from licking certain people! IT'S NOT FAIR! I can't cover for you when that happens!"

"Huh? Cover for me? For what?!"

"It's just like I said earlier, Sissel. You don't let everyone touch you. Only Big Beard and Miss Kamila can touch you. That makes people think that you don't like them, but I know that's not true! So it's my job to transfer your friendship to them through LOTS AND LOTS OF LICKS!"

"...I guess I can understand that..."

No, no he really couldn't.

* * *

Jowd was currently holding Alma and Kamila close to him, but the two ladies were wondering why he was desperately trying to hold back a train wreck of laughter. There was nothing humorous in the movie scene they were currently watching.

It seems that Missile and Sissel easily forget that conversations in the Ghost World can still be heard within a small radius by those with cores. He appreciated their modesty though.

He'll have to answer Sissel's question later though. Alma and Kamila's pouts calmed him down for the moment.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: To answer Sissel's question, there's no difference between fur and hair other than word usage. Both fur and hair are both comprised of keratin and there's no difference in animal and human pores. Warm-blooded beings (mammals) have hair or fur. I guess humans call it 'hair' to feel special. XD

Thankies for reading! :-D


	5. Hidden Talents

_New Timeline_

The fateful day at Temsik Park had been altered completely. No one, except for his beloved pet cat, had died. Even though Sissel had ironically killed himself, Yomiel still felt bitter remorse the same as the night where he accidentally shot the feline. Why was that cat fated to die? He wouldn't be dead in either timeline if it weren't for his dark obsessions in the first place.

Yomiel lie trembling on the muddy ground in inexplicable pain. He considered it karma. Cabanela must've felt the same way before that bullet pierced his head. Or would've pierced his head if Sissel and Missile hadn't intervened. Their interference was too quick for him notice. He could've sworn he saw a blue knit hat stuck on the Inspector's face as he left. The Inspector of the doomed timeline wouldn't be dancing for a very long time, if at all again. He shuddered at how he had danced the broken Inspector up those stairs.

Detective Jowd dragged himself over to him now and asked if he was still alive. He had expected to die after jumping in Mino's path. But karma is a relentless witch. But still, Yomiel wasn't complaining.

The brunt of the damage was to his legs. The surgeons tried to salvage them, but it was no use. His tibias, fibulas, and patella were reduced to splinters. Even with his lower legs amputated, Yomiel was pleased with the outcome. He'd have to use prosthetic legs for the rest of his natural life. Surgery had corrected the damage the impalement dealt.

In a strange twist of fate, Detective Jowd's hospital room was right across from his. When their respective visitors were away, they'd wheel themselves over to talk about the past events. Yomiel smirked. Here he was taking full responsibility and enduring all of the physical pain with the same nonchalance Jowd did.

He didn't mind it. He felt that he deserved worse at times, but it's an uphill battle trying to not punish yourself.

After a few weeks of recovery, Yomiel's prosthetic legs had arrived. After several months of occupational therapy ordered, it was off to prison. He thought of his fiancée. Poor Sissel. The medical bills must be piling up and then she'd have to be without him for a decade. He was obviously out of work and Sissel is the property manager of the building they live in. But still, the expenses add up.

If she decided to find herself a better man, he couldn't blame her. At the trial, he told her that she didn't have to wait for him. There were other and better men in the world. Men who don't hold children hostage with a stolen gun.

To his shock, she smiled and said that she'd wait.

Yomiel felt an odd sensation. A sensation that was useless to him in the past. He shed tears of disbelief and joy.

He didn't deserve her. She deserved better than him. Those feelings still clung to him.

The first few months of prison were nothing compared to his ten years imprisoned within immortality. But just as before, he got bored at times.

At Detective Jowd's last visit, he suggested something that surprised him.

Painting.

Of course he would. Yomiel had spied on the people he hated several times in the past. He found Jowd's hobby to be amusing. He had relished the look of subtle torment when the detective painted his wife, daughter, and best friend.

He had thought about possessing Jowd and forcefully ruining the pictures. But something stopped him, Jowd had blotted out his family's photo with black paint already. A ruined canvas likely wouldn't have phased him.

But what would he paint now that he was in the same scenario? He was a computer programmer and never had much appreciation for artwork. He couldn't draw a straight line. He remembered how his fiancée teased him when she dragged him into playing Pictionary.

The detective painted faces, huh? He might as well paint the faces of people he cared about.

First was his fiancée. He loved her waist-length, silky black hair with the split bangs over her forehead. Her gray eyes were gorgeous. He loved that simple blue dress she wore. He imagined her musical, sweet voice making comments on her portrait.

Painting is surprisingly relaxing.

The next painting was of a little creature that he owed his current life to. This painting was simple. He only needed three colors: black, red, and yellow.

He knew he'd meet his best friend again one day.

In the meantime, he'd paint the faces of those he'd never forget.


	6. Spellbound

_Pre-Game_

At times, the Chief of Police didn't know what to do with these crazy characters in his precinct. A determined Inspector that danced in the middle of crime scenes and seemed to never sleep for more than two hours. How is the man still alive? Does he even eat? A nosy investigator who abused her job's perks at times. A beleaguered detective who tried to weather them all. Gods bless Detective Rindge, likely the most sane member of his men. The nervous prison guard and his cynical, apathetic partner. Finally, the two detectives (what were their names again?) who moaned about their marital troubles.

They made his feet itch more intensely just thinking about it all. However, one red-headed rookie in particular troubled him.

She did things her own way. No regard to authority or protocol. Criticisms and guidance never applied. She'd brush it all off with a giggle and continue on.

It made him wonder: how did she make it to even a rookie's position?

It wasn't until he gave Lynne's exam another once over that he noticed some blatant oddities.

All test scores were done on computer, in-field role-play, and on traditional paper and pencil.

It looked as if someone had manipulated Lynne's answers. Questions that were answered wrong were replaced with correct ones. The wrong answers were carefully erased and white-out so surgically painted over the eraser's smears that it's no wonder he missed it the first time.

Upon reviewing Lynne's field test video, she'd made many unacceptable mistakes, but the final report was glossed over. The only exam that wasn't touched was the computer exam.

Who would fudge her scores? Members in this field were expected to be as near flawless as possible.

A realization hit him: Lynne wasn't just a rookie detective, she was an illegitimate rookie detective.

His realization brought on a new predicament. It was his job as Chief of Police to ensure that only the best members were accepted into the force. Those accepted into the force became like family.

Yet another issue spawned itself: Lynne had a strange effect on most men of his precinct. They were enamored with her. Fanboys even.

If he fired her, there would be hell to pay. He scolded her many times on her unacceptable behavior, but he'd overheard many of the officers trying to cheer her up. They _knew_ of the mistakes Lynne made and how they could've caused disasters on the field. Why the sympathy?

Perhaps she'd get herself fired by making one mistake too many. That wouldn't go over well with the boys, but it'd be her own fault.

It's his job to do the right thing and part of that is maintaining the high standards of law enforcement.

But in the meantime, new information about Inspector Cabanela's case on the Manipulator arrived on his desk. He'd have to push those ethical dilemmas to the backburner for now.

An idle thought crossed his mind, was it Cabanela who fudged Lynne's scores? Lynne had a special tie to Detective Jowd and Cabanela would do almost anything to make his friend happy. Up to and including giving support to those who were important to Jowd.

The Chief sighed heavily.

What to do with all of these crazy characters?

The mere question caused a new level of itching.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: The Chief sure has it rough!


	7. A Rocky Start

_Pre-Game_

Convincing criminals of your usefulness is a difficult task. If they're not interested, at the least, they'd laugh you off. The worst case scenario is that they'd kill you for wasting their time. That and the fact you could snitch on them as revenge.

It was perhaps even more difficult when said criminals were members of a foreign government. He briefly wondered if this nation's citizens suffered under their rule or were oblivious. He planned to live in this foreign nation after his plan was completed. Personally, he felt that all governments had dark secrets and that the general public were just sheep. Sheep waiting for the slaughter.

But since he was on the subject of slaughter...

Yomiel certainly wouldn't have to worry about being killed by the blue villains. He had tested his body's endurance to many scenarios that would kill anyone else. Nothing. Nothing phased him or caused him pain. It was a factor that he still remained bitter about, but he cheered himself up. When all was said and done, the ones responsible would be the ones dead. One was already on his way to death. He didn't know how he'd kill Cabanela and his elderly companion. He'd figure that out later.

But that brings him back to his current predicament. He laid out his spiel to Commander Sith and the sniveling midget chuckled. No. It wasn't off to a good start. However, before Yomiel could curse, the robotic Muscleman had activated the hidden machine gun. This actually might be the breakthrough he needed. Yomiel smiled.

A great number of bullets had pierced his body and he had crumpled to the floor. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep his body upright when shot with projectiles. He wondered if it was some sort of psychological effect.

Sith cackled and ordered a snickering Tengo to clean the mess up when he gradually rose from the floor. Yomiel soaked in their shock with a smirk. No blood stained the expensive rug. The bullet holes still riddled his red jacket, but the wounds themselves closed up.

The nigh emotionless Beauty let her perfectly trimmed eyebrows rise for a brief moment. Dandy hilariously blubbered. Jeego questioned his sanity since his eyesight hadn't failed him. Tengo didn't have anything to taunt about.

Yomiel let out a mental sigh of relief. He almost gave up in a rage and stupidly forgot about his ghost powers. Whatever the case, they were now avidly interested in his proposal.

"Well, my good man, you have our interests now. We'll cooperate with you fully."

* * *

Yomiel would give them two shows. One: a siege of the Metro Police Department. Two: Exposing his home nation's dark secrets during a live broadcast. He needed more time to plan the siege, so first up was the national broadcast.

He had considered a few options: a talk show host, a newscaster, a rock star, and a game show host.

The talk show host was crossed off the list: his fiancée was a fan of the one he wanted to possess. There was no need in trampling her memory like that. They both hated the news, but he felt that the revealer needed to cause a more massive stir. He nixed the game show host idea: he was a fan of many of them. More specifically, he loved yelling at how stupid the contestants were.

A rock star was it then. He might as well choose a band he hated: The Rock Pigeons. They were just talentless hacks, but they were everywhere and massively popular. He had hated hearing their "music" blaring on radio stations and at work.

Something hit him: _They were everywhere and massively popular_. National secrets being exposed via The Rock Pigeons is just the effect he desired.

For all of his amazing powers, Yomiel couldn't do one thing. He couldn't sing. How would he manipulate a voice if it couldn't be convincing? Their lead singer is famous for pulling pranks during the show. Pranks such as "forgetting" lyrics and having a hoarse voice. His fans loved it and they would see through it easily. Then the performance would resume as normal.

Maybe he'd just have to take advantage of The Rock Pigeon's lead and his pranks.

Another bitter task he had to undertake: learn the lyrics to the appropriate song. He slammed his head on his desk and startled the sleeping ebony cat awake. Sissel gave off an irritated, but concerned "mew".

"Sorry buddy. Sometimes, I just frustrate myself. That's all."

He threw aside The Rock Pigeon's CD booklet on the bed and tossed himself onto it. He couldn't sleep anymore, but he supposed it was good that he got more time strategizing.

* * *

Sissel didn't understand his friend at times. Sometimes, Yomiel would slump over for hours, sometimes days, and then get back up. No amount of ear nibbling, purring, rubbing, or meowing woke him when he was disturbingly still. Other times, Yomiel scared him. He would fly into a random rage which caused the feline to hide under the bed until it passed.

But whatever Yomiel was doing now, he didn't like it all. It made his sensitive ears hurt.

Yomiel turned on the Noise Machine again and put the flat, bright circular rock into it. The noise started and why was Yomiel adding to it?

Sissel gave off a loud meow hoping to grab Yomiel's attention and get him to stop. No luck.

Sissel jumped off of the couch and climbed up Yomiel's back and swatted his face. The impact knocked off his shades.

Yomiel stopped practicing the lyrics to hear Sissel's angry meow which curiously sounded like "Nyow".

The undead man sighed and turned off the radio-CD player.

Guess he'd have to practice this part of the plan outside or something. Maybe on the way to get cat food which he needed to get more of anyway.

* * *

A/N: "The Rock Pigeons" is a portmanteau of two things. One - Rock pigeons are real birds (they're called rock doves as well). They're the ones you see in cities and such. Two - Spiky entertained pigeons during the credits. However, I have no idea if he's part of a band or a solo rock star.

I always wondered why Yomiel chose a rock singer in the first place. Also, I imagine that the blue villains didn't take him seriously at first.

Thanks for reading and faving!


	8. Keeping Secrets

_New Timeline_

Jowd sometimes believed that he was living inside a cruel dream world. A fake world conjured up by his lonely mind while encased inside of that prison cell. There was no way that he was inside of his warm, welcoming home again. A home that wasn't surrounded by police tape and displayed on the news. Forever tainted by an unbelievable crime.

There was no way that Alma was sitting here next to him with a fresh package of gauze ready to change his dressings. It was actually his injury that brought him back to reality. This knee injury didn't exist before in the doomed timeline.

His beautiful wife was five months pregnant at this time and here she was tending to another helpless person. Granted, it wasn't his fault the trajectory made a beeline towards him and not Yomiel's back. It wasn't Missile's fault either. It was the act of pure physics and nature.

He chuckled at the thought of Missile. The hyperactive pup wasn't born yet and it was quite frankly, somewhat boring, without him around. There was always Cabanela and his boundless energy to deal with in the meantime.

He'd be too happy if there was a way to prevent the Temsik Meteorite itself from ever landing on Earth. Let the blasted thing fly into the Sun or something. Let it leave Yomiel, Cabanela, Sissel, Alma, and everyone else alone.

Jowd watched as Alma tenderly wrapped the bandages around his embattled, swollen knee. He would be off of the force for a while. Cabanela was in the same boat. He was suspended, albeit with pay, and the lanky dancer was going out of his mind from equal parts shame and idleness. He simply had to do something. Jowd thought of his spotless record in the doomed timeline. A suspension isn't a good mark to have, but he suspected that a spotless record wouldn't be needed this time around. He fought off the intrusive "I hope." from his thoughts. Cabanela was already on highly good terms in the Special Investigations Unit despite this bizarre blunder. He highly doubted his superiors would be too cross with him in the future.

So, Cabanela found something to do in the meantime: that was to help take a large chunk of the burden off Alma. The breezy dancer was currently out picking up groceries for the Jowd household. Jowd felt another twinge of guilt envelope him. His dearest friend was happily going out of his way to help him. Of course, it paled in comparison to the five years' devotion in the alternate timeline. It made him tear up a little.

His teary-eyed expression caught Alma's attention.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, hun. Did I wrap your knee too tightly?"

"Huh? Oh no. Nothing of the sort. I swear that you must've been a nurse in another life." Jowd placed his large hand gently on her shoulder. Truth be told, the knee pain was nothing whenever he was surrounded by his loved ones.

Alma chuckled lightly and the sound of her voice made Jowd almost break down again. He had to stop this. The doomed timeline was erased. It was gone forever.

It had been eight days since that fateful day in Temsik Park. During that time period, Jowd had been worrying his loved ones with bouts of depression and days of him being in a trance-like state. He let Cabanela believe it was pain medications, but Alma knew better, but she couldn't fathom what caused those feelings. Jowd hadn't known the man in the park personally and they had all survived. The man in red was injured far more severely, but the most important factor was that the child had lived. She survived with the help of the suspect no less. There was no reason for this train wreck of self-scorn.

Cabanela caught on quickly too after the second day of his mood pits.

Jowd knew the jig would be up if he continued to act strangely. How would he prevent memories from occurring? He wasn't sure, but he'd try nonetheless. He could keep this secret if no one ended up dead.

He heard Sissel give off an unimpressed meow.

* * *

Three weeks later, Cabanela came twirling into their home with pink and blue balloons. Jowd laughed to himself. The same thing happened last time too. The great, playful debate on the baby's gender would now begin. Of course, he already knew that they'd have a beautiful baby girl.

Alma had no preference. She wanted it to be a surprise. Jowd was of the same opinion, but this little white lie wouldn't harm anyone. Cabanela would be happy no matter what the baby was, but he still found it fun to make wild guess and jokes.

The topic moved on to Cabanela's returning to work and how he was swamped with double duties. Jowd's knee was feeling better, but he couldn't do any field work. Desk duties were in his immediate future. At least it would be in a few more weeks. Physical therapy was painful, but necessary. He had been graduated to a cane now and was getting around far better. It was still slow, but at least didn't have to hop on crutches everywhere.

Some semblance of normalcy was at last returning.

* * *

Alma came and picked Jowd up from work everyday and had wanted to invite Cabanela for dinner as well. The detective had to stay behind a little longer due to the backlog, but promised he'd be there within a hour or two. It was fine. It was only 4pm and dinner began at 7pm.

Alma had prepared dinner. Chicken and rice for herself and Jowd and Chicken Parmesan for Cabanela. She knew that Cabanela wasn't a huge fan of chicken, but had convinced him to try the Italian dish. She sort of forced his hand. No homemade cherry cobbler for him if he didn't.

But something was very wrong. It was going on 8:45pm and Cabanela hadn't shown up. That was unheard of.

"Where is he? It's not like him to be late and especially to not call."

"Can you hand me the phone, please, Alma? The Chief doesn't leave until 9:30, so he should still be there."

Sissel had jumped up to the kitchen table when Alma had left to speak with Jowd.

_'I checked Cabanela's home and he's not there. Something must've happened.'_

Jowd felt a pit form in his stomach. _'Please, gods, no.'_

Jowd dialed the precinct and Sissel hopped into the phone to listen in.

"Chief, this is Jowd. Has Cabanela drowned in his work and forgot to leave again?" He might as well go the jovial route. It wouldn't be the first time that his friend did just that.

"Heh. I know what you mean, but he left in a hurry saying that he had a date with cherry cobbler tonight. He left around 4:50. Maybe 5:00."

Jowd stared into the phone as if it smacked him upside the head. That was about three and half hours ago.

"Are sure he didn't change his mind and go back to work?"

"Yes, Jowd, I'm sure. Is there something wrong?"

Jowd paused. Should he ask? It would be the right person after all.

"He hasn't come home yet."

"That is indeed odd. But he could've stopped somewhere on the way. You know how spontaneous he is."

"That is true. Thanks anyway, Chief."

_"I'm overreacting. It wasn't the first time that Cabanela got sidetracked by an idea that struck him. He'll probably come spinning in here any moment with gifts."_

But his side quests never lasted more than a few minutes. Maybe an hour at the most.

"Alma, I'm going to look for him."

"Wait a minute, Jowd. I'm driving, remember?"

* * *

Whenever something out of the ordinary happened, Cabanela would always call. It hadn't been forty-eight hours, so he couldn't make a missing person's report.

Once in their roomy Bonneville, they retraced Cabanela's normal route to their home. The normal route had been barricaded off due to construction which forced Cabanela to make a brief detour. It was on this seldom traveled side street that they came across a harrowing scene. Pushed off to the side and outside of view was a mangled red bicycle. One that they recognized. Jowd instructed Alma to wait inside the car. There were other bicycles that were red and they weren't all Cabanela's. It was a weak excuse, he knew, but he'd take it. The damaged bicycle hid the owner lying on his side looking peacefully asleep, but the lack of movement told otherwise.

The ghost of a cat had jumped onto Jowd's cane to get a closer look as well.

"Cabanela, no."

"Jowd, what is it? Is it him? Is he okay?"

Sissel entered Ghost World and connected to Jowd's core.

_'I can't believe this. He was supposed to be safe!'_

_'Just because we're in a new timeline, doesn't mean that life is going to be friendlier. But I, too, hope that death won't be stalking us here too. Don't worry. I'm on it.'_

_'Sissel, before you go, do you think you can save him before he regains consciousness? I...don't want him to remember anything.'_

_'I can't promise you that. It's already been a few hours since he died. He may already be conscious at this point.'_

_'...' Jowd hung his head._

_'You know, this would be easier if you just told everyone the truth.'_

_'I know.'_

_'Not only that, you can't really stop people from remembering either.'_

_'I know that too. But just do what you can. I'll cross that bridge when we get there.'_

_'That bridge might be here already.'_

With that, Sissel possessed Cabanela's corpse.

In what seemed like a blink of an eye, Jowd was back at the kitchen table and still talking about how Cabanela was going to moan about the Chicken Parmesan. The detective shook his head. A few minutes ago, he had been blindly walking towards the unnaturally still man in the muddied white coat. It took him a moment to realize that Cabanela's death was now erased.

Sissel once again connected to his core when Alma got up to fetch some more tea.

_'It was a hit and run. The lady behind the wheel was putting on make-up and hit him. Let's just say that she'll need new make-up and another car. And no, I didn't kill her. __You were lucky this time. He stayed unconscious the whole time. But you should still tell them all.'_

Jowd sighed. He couldn't keep relying on Sissel to fix things if they died. The ghost cat couldn't be everywhere at once. It just wasn't reality.

One day, soon, he'd have to spill this dark secret.

In the meantime, a doorbell rang and a white blur came twirling in and moaned about the torture of having to eat chicken on top of spaghetti.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: This was spawned by a dream. It wouldn't leave me alone and here it is. I know. I killed Cabanela again. :-( But at least he was saved this time!

Thanks for reading!


	9. Superior Species?

_New Timeline_

Detective Jowd stared at the two small animals sleeping on top of one another. Missile curled up in a ball with Sissel "sleeping" on top of him.

Cats and dogs were supposed to be natural enemies, but these two broke the mold. Not just because of the ghostly circumstances that brought them together in the first place.

Jowd wondered this at times, but especially after Temsik, were animals truly superior to humans? They seemed to accept death with no qualms. They had a simple outlook on life.

He looked first at Sissel. That cat had scolded him with sound counsel and wisdom on many occasions, both in the doomed timeline and in the rewritten one. He, a grown human with a wife and child, was being schooled about life by _a cat_. He was a bit embarrassed to be honest.

And then, there was Missile. He had such an innocent perspective and so accepting of others. The Pomeranian was always happy. Not a care in the world.

Could it be that humans are too complicated? In their quest to be "special", humans had invented a myriad of complexities and morals. All it had done was make life as a human far more complicated.

Jowd chuckled. The things a ghost cat and former ghost dog make you do.


	10. Love in the Wrong Place

_Pre-Game or In-Game_

Beauty was more feared than admired. The men who hit on her got nowhere. She certainly never flirted with anyone. She didn't have the patience nor the time for messing around. She was all business.

Tengo and Jeego had once rivaled over Beauty's affections, but for once in their shady lives, they agreed that it was a lost cause. All they had to do was take a step back and observe.

"How could any self-respecting person be paired with Beauty? Nearsighted Jeego isn't anyone's lap dog."

"Heh heh heh. That pansy, Dandy. Self-respect isn't something that exists to him." Tengo chimed. "Do you hear him brown-nosing and sucking up to her all the time?"

"Ha! Only to be condescended to at how inept he is!"

"But that's okay. That's what he loves about her!" Tengo leaned backwards in his chair in a loud guffaw.

"It sounds like Dandy has no idea of what a working relationship is. However, it does make me wonder at how Beauty hasn't killed him yet." Jeego pondered. The black-hearted woman was irritated by everyone that flirted with her. What made Dandy's flattery different?

"It has to be the fact that he bends so easily to her will. Everyone else that was paired with her got put off by her whims and wiles. And I hear that riding crop hurts like hell." Tengo shuddered.

"Would you like to find out just how badly it hurts?" came an irritated voice.

"No thanks, Beau." Jeego shrugged.

"Same." Tengo echoed.

"Look at that. A miracle has occurred. You two can actually cooperate with each other. And it only took me to bring you two together." a wry smile bloomed on Beauty's face.

"Eh, it's an odd coincidence. I'm still getting that promotion." Jeego packed up his lunch and left.

"Provided that you can see the target that is." Tengo jabbed back.

"It's good that you and I have such good chemistry my dear Beauty." Dandy fawned. "Should we even bother to invite those two to the wedding? Well, theoretical wedding, of course."

"..." Beauty didn't bother to answer that particular query.


	11. Just Within Grasp

_New Timeline_

Commander Sith sometimes felt as if fate taunted him. He had dreams, or perhaps memories, of an ultimate victory. The coveted object was within his grasp. It sparkled. It glowed. It would change the fate of his nation. His nation would be the most respected and feared on the planet.

The ones who threatened his dream, knowingly or otherwise, were dead. The man whom kept the powerful object was sealed away forever. Stranger still, he couldn't recall what the object was. Was it an emerald? A diamond? Why would a rock give him such ecstasy?

He vaguely recalled going to great lengths to research this object. The government of another nation severely hampered their attempts to obtain a sample of it. Then came a strange fellow who offered it to them in exchange for a futile dream.

His mind played a different version of the dream at times.

His mind played distant reports of his two most skilled, and most childish, hitmen disappearing. Unheard of, confound it! Beauty and Dandy having trouble pinpointing their contact's meeting location. Even more unheard of, confound it! But he supposed that was due to the brilliant investigative work of an Inspector in white. Who was that tap-dancing man? He'd made a good rival. It was almost a pity that he was slated to be wiped out.

But something else was always off within the dream. Whichever version played, the outcome was the same. He returned to his homeland, glowing rock in hand, but then he woke up laying in his large, plush bed and cruelly empty-handed.

What was this massive victory that eluded his every thought?

He must getting wistful in his old age.

In the meantime, he reviewed the file containing information on their new contact. He would have to thank One Step Ahead Tengo for his method of thinking. If all went well, they'll have acquired the advanced weaponry from underneath their partner's nose.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: Was just thinking at how Sith never got any comeuppance for his actions. I suppose it's fitting that his ultimate victory was foiled by the concept he feared. That small possibility.


	12. Persistence

_Ray Timeline_

Kamila loved to drown out the world with music at times. Music distracted her from the fact that her parents were gone forever. When she felt the tears bubbling, she grabbed her headphones and a book. She gave Missile a few loving pets to soothe and reassure him.

It's not like living with Lynne was terrible. The red-head had bouts of rudeness at times, but otherwise, Kamila was as happy as the situation allowed. There were days where she wished she could rewind time and stop herself from making that contraption. It frightened her that she never remembered how the loaded gun got there. It was all going as planned.

The music blaring didn't stop the sniffles or the tears at times. It was much easier for her to break down when she was alone. Missile sensed her distress and jumped onto the couch and licked the tears away. Lynne would've ruined the moment by yelling at Missile to get off of the couch. It was good that she wasn't here.

Missile jumped down and happily wagged his bushy tail at his mistress's smile. He felt good when Miss Kamila smiled like that.

* * *

I saw Miss Kamila smile and was happy at doing another perfect job! I LOVE SEEING YOU SMILE! I'll drink up all of those tears for you!

A hear a loud bang at the front door and see two new people. One is a guy with pointy hair and the other is a man with a huge stick. Are they here to play? Miss Kamila never told me about them, but that's okay! I'll greet them happily!

"WELCO-" ***bang***

It was black for a long time. I didn't know where I was. I didn't really remember who I was either. I must be a dog because I remember loving to bark. I woke up eventually and saw something that made my fur stand on edge. Well, I couldn't feel my fur anymore, but it would if things were normal.

I see someone right in front of me and I immediately remember her name.

MISS KAMILA!

But Miss Kamila...is laying on the floor. I knew she wasn't sleeping because she never slept on the floor. And more importantly, there's blood leaking out of her! MISS KAMILA!

What happened?! I didn't do anything bad, did I? I don't think I did. I KNOW I DIDN'T!

I cried out from my heart and the world around me changed and I see a bunch of glowing balls around me. Weird...they weren't there before, were they? Or maybe they always existed and I never noticed them?

But wait! Miss Kamila has a glowing ball on her body too!

I don't know how, but I had to get to her. I stretched out my paw and connected to Miss Kamila's glowing ball. Or maybe I should call it a "core". Miss Kamila said that a "core" is the center of stuff. Or something like that.

The world is so different wherever I'm at now. Is this Miss Kamila's core? Or was it a soul? All I see in front of me is a flame-y looking thing.

Is this Miss Kamila?

"MISS KAMILA!"

"...Missile? Is that you?"

"MISS KAMILA! You said my name! YOU REMEMBER ME!"

"Kamila...that's my name isn't it?"

"Huh? You forgot your name? That's okay. I didn't know my name either until you said it."

The blue flame turned into the little girl I love.

"What happened, Missile? I can't feel anything, but I'm aware of myself. It feels like...I'm a ghost or something."

"I don't really remember what happened, to be honest. I think there were some weird guys I saw."

"Weird guys?"

"IT WOULD BE SO MUCH BETTER IF I COULD SHOW YOU!"

But when I said this, I saw a glowing clock and it looked like it was going backwards.

And then I saw it. It was like I was watching one of those movie things, but me and Miss Kamila were on the TV. Miss Kamila had those red things on her head and the paper TV. And there I was sleeping near her.

She began to sniffle a little bit, so I made her happy by licking the salty water away from her eyes. I have to ask Miss Kamila later on how humans leak salt water from their eyes.

I jumped back down to floor and then turned to address the noise I heard from the front door.

And then the man in black pointed that big stick at me and I flew backwards and didn't move again. So...I'm dead, huh? But if I'm dead, that means that...

NO! MISS KAMILA! If I'm like this, then Miss Kamila is dead too! But how?

The man in red ripped the red things off of Miss Kamila's head and she shrieked. The man in red wanted a music box? I don't think you have to kill to get one though.

Miss Kamila started crying and telling them that she didn't know where it was. YOU BETTER LISTEN TO MISS KAMILA! SHE DOESN'T LIE!

I saw the man in red change the surroundings. I guess I'll call it Ghost World. His Ghost World is a much darker color than mine. It's a dark blue where mine is a green one.

The man in red looked up and saw a core on the ceiling. Somehow, he opened it by looking at it?

A box fell from the ceiling and into the Christmas tree.

The pointy-haired man grabbed it and waved goodbye to Miss Kamila. YOU BETTER LEAVE!

But maybe he didn't hear me or didn't care. He told Miss Kamila that he was sorry and then told the man with the killing stick to leave no witnesses.

The stick made another loud bang and then Miss Kamila fell down right beside me.

"We were...shot to death..." Miss Kamila looked like she could cry again, but being a ghost stopped that notion.

"I'LL FIX THIS! If the man in red can change the world and use stuff, then I bet I could!"

"You really think you can save us both, Missile?"

"OF COURSE! I'm on it right now!"

So, there I was in the past. IT WAS ALL UP TO ME! I changed the world to my familiar green and looked at all of the cores. I didn't know what my powers were yet though. I can turn back time apparently. What else can I do?

I jumped into the donut cart and tried to do something with it, but nothing happened. Well, that was a waste. What else is there? I jump to the star. Nothing to be done there either! The balls on the Christmas look promising. I jump to one of those and studied it. Hmm. Still nothing.

I reached out to another Christmas ball and felt like I was stuck. Wait a minute! The two balls were connected to each other? I broke the connection and looked at them again. They were the same shape, yes, but they didn't do anything useful. I looked around the room for other things that had the same shape. There were the pictures on the wall and the panel on the ceiling. But they were at different angles though. I had an idea. The panel on the ceiling would just fall open if it were a picture. I just have to make it the same angle somehow. Maybe if they saw the music box first, they'd leave Miss Kamila alone!

But then I wondered how I'd get the picture on the ceiling. I need to make the picture flat on the ground for it to work. Maybe the woman next door can help? She always knocks stuff down through the wall if I bark loud enough. But I'm dead and can't bark anymore. That makes me sad to be honest.

While Miss Kamila was still listening to the red things, I switch the Christmas balls and the bigger one fell onto the remote which was underneath the tree. I'M SO HAPPY I TRIED TO HIDE IT THERE! The woman next door began pounding the wall like she always does. IT WORKED! THANK YOU, SCARY LADY! The picture fell flat on the floor! I connected the picture and the ceiling panel. The pull was strong. Almost if they were meant to be moved. Well, my idea was to swap the two...so...

I swapped the two objects and AHA! The music box fell into the tree early! Now let's see if that'll make them leave Miss Kamila alone!

Miss Kamila still had those red things on, so she didn't notice anything that I did. That's good, because I'd hate to scare her!

Soon, the bad men came into the apartment. I got shot again, but oh well. When I was alive, I was so stupid and useless! All I did was bark and say "WELCOME!" What good did any of that do? My Ghost Tricks can save Miss Kamila!

But just as I was thinking this, the man in red noticed the music box in the tree. Okay. You have what you want, so LEAVE NOW!

Miss Kamila noticed the two bad guys and shrieked. What's going on? Isn't this the part where they leave Miss Kamila alone now?

Again, the man in red said he was sorry and told the man in black to leave no witnesses. Miss Kamila fell beside me again.

Maybe if Miss Kamila didn't scream, they wouldn't shoot her?

That didn't turn out how I wanted at all! I rewound time again.

I can't count and never did see the importance of it. Everyday was the same when I was alive. What did numbers matter? What were numbers anyway? I tried and tried and tried. Nothing worked. Swapping the Christmas balls did nothing. There was nothing else to swap either. I even stopped time when the small metal lump was right in front of Miss Kamila. I thought I could swap it with something else. That didn't work either.

But Miss Kamila was really upset for some reason.

"Missile! PLEASE STOP!" her voice had the sound of tears in it.

"But..but I'm trying to save you Miss Kamila! Don't you want to play with me again and put that colored mud on your face with Miss Lynne?"

Kamila gave me a sad smile that made me feel like I died all over again. "Colored mud? That's called make-up, Missile. But you've tried your best, Missile. It's not going to work."

"But maybe if I try some more, I'll figure something out!"

Miss Kamila hugged me. Well, she tried at least. Being a ghost is sad because you can't even touch other ghosts!

"Missile, I'm tired of watching us get shot. I can't take it anymore." Miss Kamila turned away from me for a little while. "Maybe my wish came true after all. I wished that I could be with my mom again. And soon, dad will be with us too. We'll be a family again."

"But, Miss Kamila!"

"And don't worry. You're a part of our family too! I know mom and dad would love you if you met them!"

I never met Miss Kamila's parents before. I don't even really remember my own mom, but I saw those pictures of her and her parents. She looked so happy! And who am I to keep her from being happy?

"Will you come with me to see mom, Missile?" She held her hand out and I wanted to join her. But something stopped me.

"...I can't come with you now, Miss Kamila. I'm still going to try and save you. If I don't fix this, then I'll join you. I promise!"

"You're a good boy, Missile! Well, we'll see each other again soon!"

I returned us to the sad present. There we were. Two little bodies on a lonely apartment floor.

Miss Kamila stayed behind while I followed the two men. I got an immediate lead: Miss Lynne was dead at the junkyard. I saw the man in red slump over and then jump into the telephone. He vanished. How could he do that?

Soon, he returned to the apartment and stood up. He mentioned something about a Point X, Inspector Cabanela, and Detective Jowd.

I don't know what their connections are, but I'll find out somehow!

I followed the path of cores into the big, wide world that only the dead can see.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: It really bugs me at how the game ignores the fact that dogs are apparently colorblind. But alas, I am one who prefers canon.


	13. Avoidance

_Post-Game_

Jowd had spent days chatting with Sissel when he felt the walls of nightmares closing in. Yes, yes he knew he had to tell them all some day. Yes, he knew that Sissel couldn't be everywhere at every time.

But this was a time for self-reflection and a reanalysis. A breezy dancer in a white coat hadn't visited him once in the previous timeline. That was out of character for _him_. He had honestly believed that Cabanela had moved on. After all, he had betrayed everyone who ever cared about him. But now that Jowd sat back and reviewed the facts, the reason for Cabanela's absence was obvious.

Cabanela _despises_ strangeness. The fact that he tripped over a curb? "_Nooooo idea what you're talkin' about, baby."_ A red-faced sneeze during a police report? _"Not siiiick. Just dust in the air."_

He'll deny or avoid whatever weirds him out. If there's a way to explain or correct the weirdness, Cabanela will begin the attack, but from afar.

Cabanela worked from a distance to save his best friend. He even allowed his reputation to sour a little bit. He couldn't count how many rumors of his apparent selfishness floated about.

Jowd let out an amused, bitter chuckle. Truth be told, he wouldn't have wanted anything to do with Cabanela back then. The then Inspector was bullheaded (just as the current Detective Cabanela is) and wouldn't have accepted that. Did he fight so hard for his sake or just to make sure that Kamila still grew up with a semblance of a family?

Another answer came to mind: Family.

He should've figured this from the time that their friendship bloomed into brotherhood.

Cabanela didn't grow up with a family. The sad story of his beginnings still rang through his mind when the Chief shared the tale.

_The Chief and his wife had been driving home from the National Rugby League preseason game. An argument over directions had gotten them lost. After driving on a busy road leading to a popular tourist locale, the couple had pulled over to sort things out again._

_It was during a break in the traffic that they heard a frail whimper from a nearby patch of grass. In a box and swaddled in a yellow towel lie a newborn baby._

_The Chief's wife had called the ambulance about the baby that had been found nine miles from the Cabanela River. A sprawling plaza with shops, restaurants, bike trails, an arcade, fishing, and a movie theater which was built along the Cabanela River's shore._

_The paramedics deemed the baby "Cabanela" as a nickname and whisked him away to the children's hospital. After spending a few days in the NICU, Cabanela had bounced back with a miraculous recovery. The hospital staff adored him, constant wiggling and all. He was a cheerful thing. Hardly ever cried either. He was constantly moving and lively just like his namesake. The nickname stuck and the boy known as Cabanela would be sent to an orphanage. Sadly, no one had adopted the boy. That didn't seem to put a damper in his spirits. He had a dream for his life and nothing deterred him. The boy was an investigative genius despite his lack of stillness. A dancing Sherlock Holmes, perhaps? He vowed to use his investigative skills to discover the truth about his parents._

_Years later, the Chief would meet the abandoned boy known as Cabanela again and he'd become an ace detective within his precinct. Now, how to balance that boundless energy? The Chief figured Jowd could create the Superego to Cabanela's Id. The Ego could be the crime itself, he supposed._

_The Chief hadn't told Cabanela that it was he who found him by the side of the road that day. He only did what was right and his efforts weren't wasted._

Due to his rough start into the world, Jowd knew that Cabanela believed that families are meant to be together. Alma, Jowd, and Kamila were the only family his friend had left.

The bearded detective let out a sad huff. He must've put Cabanela through a significant amount of emotional pain. And for what? Covering for a crime that his daughter never committed? Accepting the blame for a death he hadn't caused?

He remembered how Cabanela had actually punched him in the interrogation room. Another out-of-character trait. He'd forgotten about how angry Cabanela could get if pushed too far. He deserved that punch to the jaw at least.

Cabanela had spelled out just how stupid and ridiculous his confession was. Despite the evidence screaming otherwise, it wasn't right and never would be.

Jowd admitted it now. He WAS stupid and ridiculous. It only took a ghost cat who believed he was human for him to realize that.

But Jowd is a person who learns from his mistakes.

He wouldn't threaten the only family his friend knew again. He wouldn't willingly tear apart the family he created with Alma again.

Jowd knew one other thing about his friend: contrary to popular belief, Cabanela does know when to quit.

_"I haaaaave my family now. Time to let goooo of old grudges, baby."_

Jowd was happy that their bullheaded Cabs wouldn't be pursuing a painful, fruitless adventure any longer.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: This was partially inspired by a dream I had. I wondered why Cabanela would go to such lengths for a friend and his family. I'm not saying that's a bad thing or it's impossible in the real world, but most friendships (even anime or video game ones) don't run THAT deep.

The Cabanela River is obviously fake, but it's based upon a massive shopping plaza (called The Waterfront) that runs along the Monongahela River near me.

Id, Ego, and Superego are psychology terms. Have you seen those pictures with an angel and demon each shoulder arguing over a decision? Id is the demon telling you illogical advice and the Superego is the one giving logical advice. The Ego is the "main mind" itself.


	14. Callousness

_New Timeline_

Being the only member of the "walking dead" has its perks and problems. Eating, grooming, temperature, and messes were no concern of mine any longer. I remember how Yomiel had to periodically change my litter box and heard his complaints about not liking to see feline waste. At least he couldn't smell it. I am confused at why it's called "litter box". I never had a mate or kittens of my own for that matter. Why would we put our litter of kittens in there? It's not even warm in there. But speaking of kittens, now that I think about it, the old timeline is the only time I was an adult cat. I'll forever be a little kitten. That...kinda makes me sad. I do miss being more agile. I guess my fate of having limited range can't be altered.

Thankfully, my new family didn't have to put up with the unpleasantness of cat clean up duties.

There's one problem that I still can't beat even now: boredom. Jowd is at work. Alma is shopping with the baby. I checked in with Jowd at the precinct, but they're all busy with the serial killer case. I did speak briefly with the Good Detective though. He's concerned about Cabanela's "intuition". Apparently, this case happened in the old timeline as well and the white-suited detective solved it single-handedly. But the case is just beginning this time around. Cabanela already named the suspect's vehicle and murder weapon. I told the Good Detective to "let the cat out of the bag", but he changed the subject and said he had to go.

I told Jowd that I'd help if he needed me and then possessed the telephone. I didn't know what to do next or where to go. I spoke with Yomiel in prison already. He painted a very nice picture of me against the full moon. He was currently working on a portrait of his fiancée. I wish I knew how to paint. After about a half hour of conversation, I made my way back to the guard station to head out. Bailey and Daly were arguing over a card game. After watching the spectacle for a bit, I decided on a random telephone line and see where it led me.

That particular phone line led me to a lavish building with ornate hallways. Was this another part of the Justice Minister's office? I didn't see any guards there, but there were humans dressed in black and white suits. They were rushing to a specific room at the sounds of frantic screaming. The woman's voice sounds very familiar. Only this time it's not rage, it's terror and despair.

I entered Ghost World and was delighted to see that there were tons of cores to possess which made chasing the men simple.

I made it to what looked like a large bedroom with a high ceiling. In the middle of the floor was the Perfumed Lady "Emma" and a baby (the same age as Kamila) lying on the floor with a blue tinge to her face and neck. I recognized the baby as the Feverish Firecracker from before.

"MY DARLING ANGEL! She's...Oh Muses! I can't say it! I REFUSE to say it!"

I entered Ghost World and saw that little Amelie was indeed dead. Uh oh. What could've happened? I can't just leave this grieving mother here with a dead baby.

I made my way over to Amelie's tiny corpse and possessed her. I really hope she stays unconscious. What would a scar on a baby's psyche do? I have to save her...and fast!

**_4 Minutes Before _****_Death_**

_The Perfumed Lady is bouncing a fussy Amelie on her knee while writing in a notebook._

_"Inspiration has been so low these days. It's as if ideas are evaporating just as I form them! Here's to the frustrating foe that is writer's block!" The woman raised her wine glass and gave a toast to the air._

_Amelie began to squirm and apparently wanted down. Emma complied and continued to ponder over elusive ideas in her notebook._

_The baby girl had crawled over to a round object on the lavender carpet. It was flat and silver. I think it's a coin of some type. She looks at it in awe for a bit. Probably admiring the shininess. _

_What she does next confuses me. She puts the coin into her mouth and pushes it around with her tongue. Strange. Alma always keeps small objects off the floor, so Kamila never got the chance to do something like this. I'm sure humans don't eat metal, so why is baby Amelie trying to eat it?_

_A few seconds later, baby Amelie starts choking. The Perfumed Lady practically throws her notebook across the room and rushes to Amelie's side._

_"Don't fret, my angel! Mommy is going to help you! Let me get it out of your mouth!" She picks her daughter up and then reaches her fingers into the baby's mouth, but I guess the coin is too deep._

_"Oh! Oh! I don't know CPR!" Emma runs to the phone to call for the ambulance, but then she notices Amelie has slumped over. While on the phone, Emma laid Amelie down on her back and began to press on her chest. Is that what "CPR" is? It looks like a painful thing to me. What would crushing someone's chest do? Whatever the reason, the chest crushing doesn't work and Amelie goes very still._

So, that's how baby Amelie died, eh? This won't do. I have to do something to get that coin out of her grasp. The little baby hasn't "woken up" yet. But then even if she did, she can only speak in babbles. It's unlikely that she would even understand me. But I don't want to take that risk. It's far better if she doesn't remember her death. And if I save her during unconsciousness, she won't develop a Core of the Dead either!

Something just hits me though. According to "Ray", there was another time, another "me", that wouldn't have cared if a baby girl died in front of her mother. A me that was only interested in regaining my lost memories.

That scares me. How could I have been so callous? Is it because I'm a cat? We cats aren't the most social beings and are very picky about our favorite people, but still...

That other me didn't save Lynne, Kamila, Cabanela, or Jowd. Even though I won't be able to converse with Lynne, Kamila, and Cabanela, I still consider them my friends. I can't imagine a world where I wouldn't save them. They have their quirks that irritate me, but I can't imagine being without them.

I shook off these thoughts as I focused on the task at hand. Getting that coin out of the way was the answer. I'll have to make the Perfumed Lady notice her daughter sooner in order for my plan to work.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

It took me a few tries, but I managed to save Amelie's life. Luckily for her, she won't remember a thing and just to be certain, I confirmed that she had no Core.

"The Muses must be looking after me and my darling angel! It wouldn't have been pretty if you had of swallowed this coin!" She took the coin and tossed it into the trash. "I shall be keeping my eyes glued to you! Here is to the protective vigilance of a mother!"

Amelie seems upset at having her shiny new toy taken away, but little does she know that she doesn't need it.

Satisfied with the results, I leave the room for the nearest phone and make my way back to the Jowd household.

It felt good knowing that I'd never show such disregard to these kind people this time around.

I curl up on top of the bookcase like I always do and just watch those strange, beautiful patterns of their lives.


	15. Persistence - What Doggies Do

_Ray_ _Timeline_

I've heard it said that "Dogs are dumb." They keep trying the same thing over and over again with no results or the same results. It's like when we keep trying to get that stick through a doorway, but fail each time. Since going through forwards doesn't work, we decide to go in hind legs first. That fails as well. We can't figure it out. There's an opening, right? So, the stick must be able to go through it. After all, we go through it all the time. Why can't that stick go through as well?

I admit it. I was one of those dumb dogs. Miss Kamila would giggle at how I could never get that stick inside that doggie door. But that was a younger, less intelligent version of myself. Now that I'm older, I see that I should've looked at the situation from a different angle.

But I'm not referring to a simple problem of a stick being stuck at a doorway. I'm referring to saving the ones I care about. Me and my Powers of the Dead are formidable, but they're never quite enough. Miss Kamila gets shot dead. I follow the man in red. He leads me on a chase which leaves a trail of death. Miss Lynne is dead at the Junkyard. The man in red meets the dark couple at The Chicken Kitchen. The police show up. A detective with a blue cap is possessed by the man in red, but to everyone else, he turns on his green-haired colleague and then turns the gun on himself. Using the chaos, the trio leave Point X. I tried to use my Ghost Tricks to save the detectives' lives, but there's just nothing useful to swap to make my efforts effective. After failing so miserably, I jump back onto the man in red's tie. Somehow, he doesn't notice me. I don't question it and just continue to woefully observe. Miss Kamila's father is executed at the Special Prison. Uncle Cabs arrives too late and begins to cry in that dark, lonely courtyard. The man in red appears standing on top of the wall. The two have a terse conversation and Uncle Cabs soon finds a bullet in his chest. Courtesy of being possessed by the man in red. They're all gone now. I stay with the man in red until he is betrayed by the foreign organization. His spirit is trapped in the sinking and destroyed submarine. His corpse, robbed of its Temsik Meteorite fragment, is floating in a capsule with that robotic giant. I possess his corpse and go back once more to ten years in the past.

But there's a method to my "dumbness". I'm studying the ten years as they unfold. I can't change every sequence, but as I'm making little changes, the events are altered to certain degrees. They're not always good changes. Sometimes, the people I care about die in different ways. For example, this time around, Cabanela isn't killed at the Special Prison, but he's killed in the Junkyard's office. Why there? He learned of a new detail that he hadn't before: the Temsik Meteorite. Through very meticulous planning, I arranged that Cabanela would meet Pigeon Man. Using each other's expertise, they would shed more light onto the matter. Of course, that meant that Pigeon Man was now at risk as well. I truly hated that I brought him into the mix, but it was for a good reason, I assure you. And my Miss Kamila. She ends up being kidnapped by the crooks with blue skin. She was confused with the wrinkled man's daughter. I am not happy about that, but I feared that interfering would ruin the course, so I begrudgingly let it happen. So, each time that I returned to that day in Temsik Park and watched the events unfold and made changes when necessary, the events change more. My hope is that I can influence them enough so that everyone's doom is averted somehow. It's my only hope.

But one time, I never believed that such a change was possible. The man in red brought a companion. A cat. He usually kept papers in a suitcase when meeting Lynne, but this time, he had a cat carrier. The thing is, I don't know what changes that I made to influence the man in red to bring a cat with him. In any case, his cat was killed by a stray bullet when Lynne misfired. (And speaking of Miss Lynne, the man in red had altered his strategy. He seemed to want to frame Lynne instead of outright killing her. Strange, but there was opportunity there.)

I realized that this cat could be the key to solving my eternal problem: assistance. The cat had died within the fragment's radius and obtained Powers of the Dead. If he could help me, I know that I could save my loved ones. However, in true cat fashion, he refused and ghosted off through the phone lines.

Well, that was rude.

But that's okay, there's always next time. I think I know the trick to make cats listen. You have to lie to them. I've seen it done when Miss Kamila got a stubborn white kitten to get inside a carrier. She made it look like a box. The white cat didn't even notice the difference! My Miss Kamila is a genius. I will follow in her footsteps. For her sake and everyone else, I have to.

The same sequence follows once I go back again, but this time around, I tell the cat a lie. (I stop myself from chuckling. He's taken the form of his owner because that's the first corpse he saw when he regained consciousness. A little payback for rudeness never hurts. Heh Heh.) The cat only has until tomorrow morning before he disappears and that Miss Lynne is the key to everything. (She wasn't really, but still, he'd have been lost forever if he didn't follow her around.)

Off the cat goes through the phone lines. And I feel the changes occurring as he follows the trail of disaster. Miss Lynne isn't killed in the Junkyard...but I sense that she's died several times through other means. That girl has terrible luck. Miss Kamila is kidnapped again, but I'm not worried about her. I _know_ that things will turn out right this time around. Cabanela arrests Miss Kamila's father and brings him to the wrinkled man's office to stall for time. I feel bad that my meddling with events made Cabanela seem like a nonchalant jerk, but alas, even I can't fully predict how my influences change things. He's really a good person, but I do wish that he hadn't been so secretive. It would've helped his reputation immensely.

The cat follows the trail until leads him to the bottom of the sea. I've never wriggled so much. I feel like that happy puppy that I once was.

The cat succeeded. He erased his owner's death which then erased all of the turmoil of that dark night.

As I fade away, I can proudly look back and say that my "doggie dumbness" was a good thing. I kept trying over and over. All I had to do was look at things from a different angle. If all dogs could look at the doorway and the stick from a different angle, we wouldn't be labelled as 'dumb'. We'd turn that stick sideways to make it fit.

I guess that makes me a dog genius then. Heh Heh.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: I'm playing Ghost Trick again and it's eternally good!


End file.
